I taste a liquor never brewed
by misoneism
Summary: Shunsuke may have pretended to be infallible, but Kumagami knew better than that. - A oneshot in which stress levels are high, the acquisition of Hoshinoumi Academy is not yet certain, and Kumagami manages for once to convince Shunsuke that it's okay to be human.


"What time is it?" Shunsuke spoke quietly into his phone, wary of waking the sleeping body on his couch. Days and nights blend together when one's eyes could no longer perceive light; in many ways, this had been the hardest adjustment after his last time-leap. This, and knowing he had no more chances, that this gamble would be the last.

"Three sixteen AM," his phone replied back.

So that was why Kumagami had drifted to sleep as they were finalizing the last of their plans to take over the pre-established Fumitaka Academy. Shunsuke didn't blame him. It had been a tough few weeks trying to set their plan in motion without arousing the suspicion of the scientists while securing additional funding in case the price rose higher than they initially anticipated.

The last part had been tricky. Shunsuke had racked his brain trying to recall the correct set of numbers in the lottery, one of hundreds he had memorized during a previous time-leap, but exhaustion had done an effective job blurring it out of his memory. For days leading up to the lottery, he paced their new office, just willing his mind to conjure the winning numbers up.

"I'm so stupid. I should have written them all down as soon as I had woken up this time," he had muttered, digging the palm of his hands into his temples. "I should have known I'd forget it."

Kumagami clasped his shoulder then, voice irate. "Stop blaming yourself for every little thing, Shun. It's okay, we still have enough in the bank to close the deal."

They did win the lottery after all, but it had been much too close of a call for Shunsuke's preference. The stress was taking a toll on them both. Come to think of it, the stress was probably why his head had started aching then, and never stopped.

Shunsuke sighed. There was still the matter of the closing of the actual deal which had taken longer than they predicted, and now involved a room full of different stakeholders, all unknown factors that could impede their acquisition of the school. If they didn't get the papers signed in the next meeting, it would be troublesome for sure…

Shunsuke's head hurt, throbbing at an irritating, thought-disrupting pace. He would have taken some painkillers hours ago had he possessed enough energy to stumble over to the medicine cabinet and run his fingers along each bottle until he located the right one.

_Not good_, he thought to himself, rubbing his eyes. _I need to focus._ The meeting with the Academy Board is in two days. We need to prepare our case.

But as he tried to direct his thoughts back to the list of objections they had raised at allowing two young teenagers purchase the institution, even if it appeared they were backed by some unknown wealthy benefactor, Shunsuke could not focus on anything except his worsening headache and the nausea it was inducing.

His stomach clenched. Shunsuke stood, hunched over, hands feeling for the security of the wall. He tried to move as fast as possible without making noise, but the pain was distracting and he felt hot and cold all over and…

Shunsuke lost his connection with the wall as he fell to his knees, his dinner making its way all over the floor. The smell made him gag, albeit silently because Kumagami was still asleep after all, and he tried to clear his throat to rid of the stinging sensation. Crap, how was he going to clean everything up before -

"Shun? What's going on? Shunsuke!"

Two strong hands gripped his arms, pulling him back. Shunsuke felt a cool sensation on his forehead, and leaned in to it.

"What the hell - you're burning up, Shun." Kumagami was more worked up than Shunsuke had ever heard before, save for the many instances he had seen in previous time-leaps when they were caught by the scientists. "Wait, give me a second."

When his support disappeared, Shunsuke slumped over, fighting to keep himself sitting upright. _Fuck…this is bad…_

Growing up, Shunsuke was never one to fall sick easily, despite living with two younger siblings who, during certain school seasons, may as well have been walking balls of germs. He had tended to Yu when Yu came down with pneumonia, had nursed Ayumi back to health after her bout with a nasty stomach flu. All without ever being stricken down himself. He prided himself on his infallible immune system.

This time was bad though. Shunsuke felt worse than he did after the time-leaps when he would wake up to the world spinning and the contents of his stomach unsettled, as if his body was aware that its consciousness had been replaced by a future self.

_What a time for my body to turn against me…_

Something cold touched his hand. "Mouthwash," Kumagami said. "I'm holding a bucket in front of you."

Shunsuke obeyed, rinsing his mouth of that foul, acrid taste, before accepting a cup of water. His hands shook, and he felt something drip onto his clothes. Kumagami immediately seized the cup and carefully poured cool liquid into his mouth.

"Thanks, Pooh. Sorry for the mess."

"Oh? That's what you have to say? Why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well, Shunsuke?" Kumagami used his full name. His friend was angry, then.

"I'm fine, Pooh. It must have been something I ate."

"You're feverish. I'm taking you to the infirmary," Kumagami said firmly. He pulled Shunsuke up, supporting most of the boy's weight. "Can you walk?"

"Y-yes…" but even as Shunsuke said it, he could feel his legs giving in. He bit down on his tongue, willing his body to respond, but to no avail.

The last thing he heard was a frantic "Shun! Shun-"

* * *

Kumagami felt Shunsuke's body go slack, reacting quickly to stop the boy from sinking to the floor. He felt his chest constrict, heart pounding. Fear. It had been a long time since he had felt such real, deafening fear. But that was because Shunsuke was always there to tell them what to do…

They had only just moved into their new headquarters - the underground research facility - two weeks ago. Kumagami knew the way to the infirmary (was racing for it now, an unconscious Shunsuke in his arms) but he was not confident that it would be fully stocked. And they had not yet assembled a fully vetted team yet, so the only person with any medical training beyond the basic first aid courses that Shunsuke had instructed everyone to take was at home.

Maedomari. Of all of their friends, he would be the most reliable in this situation.

Kumagami carefully laid Shunsuke down onto the infirmary bed, pressing a wet washcloth to his friend's burning forehead. Then, Kumagami traced his steps back, only turning at the last corner to make his way to the sleeping quarters. He keyed in the passcode and flicked on the lights, ignoring the sleepy protests coming from the other beds.

"Maedomari, I need you to come with me," he said, trying to keep his voice level. There would be no good in alarming the others - they all needed their rest at this crucial time.

The mess of purple-black hair shifted. Maedomari opened his eyes, squinting. "Kumagami? What time is it?"

"Come with me. Now."

Luckily, the boy was as perceptive as he was unflappable. He swung his legs over his bed, feet slipping into his shoes, without another word.

"I-is everything alright?" Medoki murmured, turning over to face them.

"Don't worry about it," Kumagami reassured her, and Shichino who was unsuccessfully feigning sleep. "I just need to borrow Maedomari for a while."

"If you say so…"

* * *

Once in the hallway and out of earshot, Maedomari spoke up. "What's wrong, Kumagami? You look pale. Did something happen to Shunsuke?"

Was it that obvious? "I found him throwing up," Kumagami said grimly. "He is running a high fever. And when I tried to walk him to the infirmary, he fainted."

"I see…"

They snaked their way back to the medical room. Shunsuke had not moved, but the sound of his ragged breathing was enough to send chills down Kumagami's spine. As he stood rooted in place, Maedomari was already busy pulling out boxes and boxes of medical supplies from the cabinets.

"Hm, we don't have a lot of supplies here," the younger boy said, making his way to the other side of the room.

"We do not; we haven't stocked up yet. All the boxes here are ones we brought from our old hideout."

Maedomari shoved a thermometer into Kumagami's hand. "Here, take this."

Shocked at receiving an order, Kumagami paused, earning him a frown.

"Take his temperature. For the most part, we can probably treat him with some ibuprofen and plenty of rest - I know for a fact neither of you have been sleeping well at all. We also need to ensure that Shunsuke receives enough fluids to stay hydrated."

Kumagami nodded. "Yes, of course." As he waited for the reading to show up, Kumagami steeled himself. This was not the time to fall apart. It would be fine - Shunsuke was simply down with a cold. There was nothing to worry about.

Beep.

He looked down, and swore. "39.8 degrees."

Maedomari stopped mid-motion, meeting Kumagami's gaze. Uncharacteristically, he looked as panicked as Kumagami felt. "Change of plans. We need to get him to the hospital. Now."

* * *

It was fortunate that Furuki had ended up staying the night in the research facilities. Kumagami could not imagine what they would have done had their driver been at home or dispatched elsewhere. Without access to an ambulance, they would have had no way to get to the hospital.

_That's something to consider for the future…Shun…_

Kumagami looked down. Wrapped in a blanket that failed to conceal his shivers, Shunsuke suddenly looked less their fearless leader, and more like the vulnerable teenager he tried to disguise away. But Kumagami knew better, knew Shunsuke better that that. So how had he failed to notice when Shunsuke's health had declined to the point of collapse?

_I wasn't paying attention,_ he thought_, fists clenching. All I could think about was how tired I felt. I didn't even stop to check up on Shun._

Kumagami had been exhausted, battling against the bone-deep weariness from the accumulated stress of walking down this path for the first and last time. But that was no excuse. He had sworn from the day he had met Shunsuke that he would support the other boy, that he would stand beside his best friend who had sacrificed everything to save them.

_Damn it…_

"We're here," Furuki said, the car screeching to a halt.

"Stay with me, Shun," whispered Kumagami. "Please."

* * *

Beep. Beep. Beep.

An unfamiliar smell. Antiseptic?

His eyelids felt heavy, as if somebody had taped them down. It took every part of his willpower to force them to open. When they did, Shunsuke was greeted by the familiar sight of nothingness, followed by an overwhelming wave of fatigue. Where was he?

As his mind woke and caught up, Shunsuke felt himself panicking. Had he been captured by a terrorist group? Did the scientists find them? The last thing he remembered was being in his study, retching on the floor. And then…and then…

"Kumagami," he croaked, hands feeling the air about him. "Where are you? Kuma-"

Warmth. He felt something warm wrapping around him, and then the tickle of hair against his skin.

"Damn it, Shunsuke, you scared me. You scared all of us, you bastard."

Shunsuke's body relaxed, and he wove his fingers into that familiar cascade of hair. "Pooh," he breathed out, partially in relief. "What happened? Where am I?"

"You're in a hospital, Shun. Three days. You were unconscious for three entire days. Do you know how worried we all were? How terrified I was? We weren't sure if you were going to pull through, or i-if you were going to leave us."

"You know I'd never do that," Shunsuke comforted his friend. Internally, his brain was whirring as he calculated the dates. Kumagami had said three days. That meant that…"The meeting. Shit, Pooh, what about the meeting?"

He felt Kumagami's weight shift, accompanied by a scoff of disbelief. "Shun, seriously? You were out for three days. The doctors said it was encephalitis, an infection in your brain. We thought you were going to die even after they pumped all those drugs into you, and you're worried about the meeting? It was postponed anyways - some of the members had their flights cancelled due to a sudden storm up north."

"That's good…" Shunsuke closed his eyes, suddenly feeling all the sensations that his adrenaline had drowned out. His body hurt everywhere, and now he was aware of the different tubes stuck into his arm.

Worse than that, he pictured Kumagami's face, all of their faces, lined with terror. He had caused this. He had inflicted this suffering onto Kumagami. And it had only been by a sheer stroke of luck that he hadn't cost them their entire plan, the one they (or he, for each time-leaped iteration of Kumagami would forget) had spent years preparing for.

"Shun? Hey, shhh…it's okay. Everything is okay now that you're awake."

Shunsuke shook his head, burying his face into his best friend's chest. "No, no it isn't. Fuck, I'm sorry, Pooh. I'm so sorry. I nearly ruined this for everyone."

He felt Kumagami's grip tighten around him. "How many times do I have to tell you? Stop carrying the burden by yourself. I'm here for you. Maedomori, Medoki and Shichino are all here as well. Stop blaming yourself every single time you act like the human being you are."

" I know, but -"

"But nothing. Shun, you alone have had to give up everything again and again . You may possess one of the most powerful abilities, but you're not a robot and this isn't just your battle to fight. For God's sake, stop pretending you're fine and just lean on me for once!"

Shunsuke pulled back, feeling the air until he found Kumagami's face. Time and time again, he had reached out and held it in his hands. Even if his eyes had lost their sight, even if the contours of this face before him had broadened with age in a way that had not been possible in so many of his time-leaps, he could see Kumagami in his mind, staring at him with those kind, steadfast eyes.

"You don't understand, Pooh," he said softly. "I always have, and you've always been there for me, beside me."

He felt Kumagami's fingers gently brush against his cheeks. "And I always will be here. I promise. So please, let me be strong for you. If this is our last chance to fight and win, then tell me when you struggling and need help. Let me share that burden with you, Shun." Kumagami hesitated before adding, "I know you wanted to protect us. I'm not sure what you've had to experience in the different time-leaps, but this one is different. We're all safe now. This time, we will succeed."

"Pooh…" Shunsuke let the tears fall. For the first time in this time-leap, he did not blink them back in a desperate attempt to instill a confidence in his friends that he himself did not dare to feel.

Kumagami stroked his head. "It's alright. Cry. Let it out. I'm here. Just promise me that you won't do something so stupid as to hide how you're feeling again."

"I promise, Pooh, if you stay beside me."

A laugh, light and effervescent as a spring day. "Well, yeah. Forever."


End file.
